Ishq ✓

Chapter-1

The daily hustle-bustle in the streets of Mumbai seemed a little less today or maybe it was the calm before the storm.

The clouds were on their own accord, the birds were chirping, irritating horns of vehicles, people selling fruits, etc.. and a girl in her twenties was running between all.

People looked at her as if she is an alien but huh, who cares she just had to reach her destination on time as she was already pretty much late.

"Side, side, side" was the only word that left her mouth and she screamed at the man coming in front of her busy in his phone call, who didn't pay any attention to the fire coming in front of him.

And then BANG!

A not-so-fragile form collided with a hard chest.

"what the... Can't you see anything? And why were you standing here even after hearing 'side'. Are you deaf?" she asked him breathless rubbing her forehead.

He looked at her from up to toe in amusement, which irked her even more.

"Stop staring at me," she said glaring at him.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face without his knowledge.

The reserved man who never even looked at any girl was now smiling at someone, that too on their first meet.

"kuch bologe bhi? Ya phir bas ghurte hi rahoge? ( will you speak anything or will just keep staring? )"

"Hello" she waved her hands in front of him bringing him out of his trance.

"you know what, just leave it! Our first and last meet. Bye!" not leaving any room for him to speak she was about to go but the end of her dupatta got stuck in his watch.

Assuming that he has held it purposely, she got furious.

"Baztameez insaan! Tameez naam ki koi cheez hai kya nahi Aap me? (you ill-mannered person! Do you even have little manners)" she seethed without glancing at him.

Now this trigged him and he lost his cool.

"Madam I haven't held it, it is stuck in the watch and that is because of your carelessness. About manners, you know it very well."

She turned around in a swift motion and looked at the watch where her dupatta was stuck.

She became red like a tomato with embarrassment. Still, Ayla is Ayla, queen of acting, she didn't let even a hint of guilt come on her face, and keeping a straight face she removed her dupatta from there. The next moment she vanished.

She felt guilty and was regretting her stupidity and thought that she will never meet him again but maybe destiny has some other plans.

Later, the whole day Arhan was lost in the girl's thoughts.
He was behaving differently today and was smiling all the time, which didn't go unnoticed by his family.

"where are you lost brother?" asked his 18 yeard old sister with a perplexed look on her face.

"Nowhere."

"then why were you smiling?" she questioned to which he just shrugged.

"ooohh! Mummy, Daddy look brother was starting into space, lost in someone's thought and he was even smiling!" she said stressing on the last part.

"Did you finally find a girl? A Special Happiness Knocked Your Heart?" she asked wiggling her eyebrows.

Her just smiled at her.

"lagta hai Kisi ko ISHQ ho gaya hai! (looks like someone is falling in love!) " she sang loudly.

Getting up feom the couch he went to his room not wanting to hear his sister's nonsense.

*****

"oho Ayla you said all these things and he didn't even react at the start. What kind of a guy he is?" lemah, Ayla's friend asked bewildered.

"leave it. I'm already feeling guilty of my stupid act but he was and an idiot."

"Not so easily Ms. Ayla saeed." her friend said smirking at her, ayla glared at her in return.

"look ayla, from the look on your face I feel like someone for the first time has done something to your heart and has effected you so much that you are not in your senses." on this Ayla frowned and asked "whatt?"

"Maybe, destiny has some other plans for both of you, you'll meet each other once again and I think it's a start of a cute love story, where on one string there is a fierce kitten and on the other a composed and reserved man." lemah said dreamily

"Darling, dream about your wedding and zaid for now. About me, whatever you said is never going to happen." she declared the last part raising her voice a little louder.

"Hmmm, we will see about it later. Now can we please go and select my lehenga and jewelleries" lemah asked.

"Hmm yeah, I'm so excited! After all my best friend is getting married. Yay!" she exclaimed like a small kid.

"If zaid hears you saying this , he will surely kill you but mhan leave it, It's high time you find one for yourself too or maybe you already found him" lemah said looking at her bestfriend.

"Get lost," Ayla said narrowing her eyes to the one who, in return chuckled at her state.

Later, at night neither Ayla nor Arhan was able to sleep. Both of them were occupied with certain someone's thoughts.

Sometimes destiny has other plans which fail our plan. The ones who thought will never fall in love with anyone, fall deeply and madly.

Such love is true love and when you fall in love, you crave for the person, you get all jittery feelings but this Ishq (love) is different when you fight. As said fighting and arguing are also a sign of love.

Both of them drifted into a deep slumber oblivious of what the future holds for them in its store.

*****